Maryland firefighter picked for Portland fire chief

PORTLAND — Jerome LaMoria, a 25-year firefighting veteran from Prince George’s County, Md., has been chosen to become chief of the city Fire Department, City Manager Mark Rees announced Tuesday.

LaMoria’s selection must be confirmed by the City Council, and is slated for the council meeting on Monday, Dec. 17. If confirmed, he will probably start work in January, according to a city press release.

Most recently, LaMoria served as the training and exercise coordinator for the Prince George’s County Office of Homeland Security. He previously rose through the ranks of the county’s fire and EMS department, which serves a population of 800,000 near Washington, D.C.

LaMoria retired from the department last year as a lieutenant colonel and acting deputy fire chief of emergency operations.

“LaMoria’s experience and understanding of emergency management, firefighting and medical services make him the right choice to lead the city’s Fire Department and I am excited to officially welcome him to Portland,” Rees said in the prepared statement.

“I am confident that he will be able to help the department continue its progress toward building an efficient, effective organization that is able to respond, react and adjust quickly to any emergency,” the city manager said.

LaMoria was selected after a national search and will replace Portland Fire Chief Frederick LaMontagne, who retired in April.